Orange County gets its first tall Christmas tree

A worker prepares to unload the South Coast Plaza Christmas tree from the largest-allowable-sized trailer. The tree is expected to be decorated within three weeks by up to 20,000 colored lights.EUGENE GARCIA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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COSTA MESA – The muted, red silk tie with its pattern of tiny, elegant Christmas trees lives in a shoebox 363 days out of a year. But on two occasions every year for the past 31 years, Stanley Taeger, director of property management at The Offices of South Coast Plaza, takes the Brooks Brothers vintage tie out of storage and wears it with a suit.

One of those occasions took place Monday morning when Taeger watched as a 200-ton crane lowered a 96-foot white fir into place on a grassy spot at Town Center Park across from The Westin South Coast Plaza.

"It's tradition," Taeger said of wearing the tree tie.

And tradition is the reason the Segerstrom family, which owns South Coast Plaza, gets a tall tree every year, he said. The tree is the first tall Christmas tree to arrive at a Southern California shopping center for the holiday season, mall executives said.

The white fir was tagged in late August at Mount Shasta in Northern California, home to tall Christmas trees that are grown and purchased for shopping centers and other commercial locations.

In Orange County, tall cut Christmas trees can be found during the holiday season at Fashion Island in Newport Beach and Disneyland Resort in Anaheim.

Looking up at the fir, Taeger smiled and said: "It's not the tallest (in Orange County)."

Although height is one of the qualities to look for, it's not the most important, he said. "It's all about a great tree, one that is straight and full," Taeger said.

From mountain to city, getting the tree situated was quite the logistical challenge.

It took the largest allowable trailer to take the fir on a journey that began Saturday morning and ended about 48 hours later, at 6:30 a.m. Monday in Costa Mesa. After the fir was put into place Monday, it tilted a bit west and needed to be adjusted, said several employees stationed at three buildings surrounding the park to give feedback on whether the tree stood straight.

The tree was installed in mid-October to give a team of five decorators led by longtime "tree elf" Vito Serrano three weeks to install 20,000 incandescent colored lights. They'll use cranes so they can drill holes into the tree to attach branches that will make the tree look balanced and fuller, put strings of lights in place and top off the whole thing with a star. The tree won't need watering because it retains a lot of moisture, Taeger said.

After poinsettias are placed around the trunk, the tree will be ready for the annual lighting event Nov. 15. That's the other occasion for the tie.

There was a moment that made all the effort worth it for him. In December, Taeger was heading back to Orange County on a late flight from San Francisco. As the plane approached John Wayne Airport, the pilot invited the passengers to take a look out the windows on the right side of the plane. There, amid all the lights of the city, was the illuminated tree in Town Center Park.

For a moment, its star and lights were beaconlike, welcoming Taeger home.

Related Links

A worker prepares to unload the South Coast Plaza Christmas tree from the largest-allowable-sized trailer. The tree is expected to be decorated within three weeks by up to 20,000 colored lights. EUGENE GARCIA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Workers prepare to unload the South Coast Plaza Christmas tree from a trailer near the Westin hotel in Costa Mesa. The 20,000 pound tree will take nearly three weeks to decorate. EUGENE GARCIA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
South Coast Plaza's 96-foot white fir Christmas tree is hoisted into position by a giant crane in the shadow of the Westin hotel in Costa Mesa. The tree was lifted nearly 100 feet into the air as it was maneuvered into place. EUGENE GARCIA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Young guests watch from the window of the Westin hotel as South Coast Plaza's Christmas tree is hoisted into position by a giant crane after a 650-mile journey from Mount Shasta. EUGENE GARCIA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
South Coast Plaza's Christmas tree is hoisted into position by a giant crane in the shadow of the Westin hotel in Costa Mesa. EUGENE GARCIA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A worker prepares the tree for its placement at South Coast Plaza's Town Center Park. The annual, free to attend tree-lighting ceremony will be Nov. 15. EUGENE GARCIA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Workers lower South Coast Plaza's Christmas tree into position as it hangs from a giant crane. This is the first Christmas tree to arrive at a Southern California shopping center this season. EUGENE GARCIA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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